Shastri, the former Indian coach believes that Kohli needs a break because he is in his own words, “overcooked” and that a break will serve Kohli and the team well. Does this have any merit? Will Kohli be able to rejuvenate himself with a break? Is Shastri correct in his assessment? Let me write about what I think about Shastri’s advise to Kohli.
Shastri’s words
“I am going straight to the main guy here. Virat Kohli is overcooked. If anyone needs a break, it’s him,” Shastri told Star Sports on Tuesday. “Whether it’s two months or a month and a half, whether it’s after [the] England [tour in July] or before England – he needs a break because he has got six-seven years of cricket left in him and you don’t want to lose that with a fried brain.”
If at all anyone knows more about Kohli, it must be Ravi Shastri. Afterall, he has worked with Kohli for more than 6 years. They have travelled together, they have spent time in discussing strategies, combinations and anything and everything under the Sun. When someone like Shastri speaks about his ward, you better listen.
Kohli is struggling and that is clear as day
It is not a secret anymore. Kohli is out of form and is seriously struggling for runs. It is across all the formats. 119 runs in 7 games in the ongoing IPL 2022. Hardly the stuff of a legend. Every cricketer goes through a lean trot. Dravid did, Sachin did, Root did, Gavaskar did and now it is the turn of Kohli. This is a cycle and a player of Kohli’s ability, he sure can and will come out of such a lean run. The question is how long will this trot last? There is no definite answer to that question. The hard fact is that it has been 100 innings across all the formats and including IPL, Kohli hasn’t got a hundred.
Ofcourse, a hundred is not the only way to measure the success of a player. During this period, Kohli has played some fabulous innings, be the 74 against Australia at Adelaide that showcased the ability and strong mentality of Kohli or the 70-odd against England on a square turned in Chennai. What stood out during the last 3 years is his inability to go on and score those big daddy hundreds that Kohli is always known for. Runs that led everyone to believe that he is immortal. Average in excess of 50 in all the formats is not a joke. With such success, his current failures are bound to be stripped naked. This barren run has showed that Kohli is afterall, a human.
Kohli himself is the reason
Part of the reason for Kohli’s poor form is Kohli himself. Everyone have seen his intensity, passion and the over aggressive nature of his play. He has many times gone overboard. He brings the same levels of energy while batting too and as a result, has placed an enormous amount of pressure on himself. Instead of relaxing while at the crease, he has become much more focussed and as a result is not able to think clearly. This is having a direct impact on his performance. He will have to tone down his aggression which may result in better returns. Basically, he must avoid being the centre of attention now that he is not the captain any longer.
Does Kohli deserve a break?
Due to the above factors plus the fact that Kohli is the wicket that the opposition dearly wants, I do think that he deserves a break. He is not in the same boat as Pujara and Rahane who were dropped because of their form over a number of years. Kohli has done a lot of service to Indian cricket. It was he who formulated an attack around fast bowlers. He must be rightly credited for increasing the fitness levels of the team. He must not be treated on par with other struggling cricketers and deserves a long and clean break. I do not think that he must play in England. A struggling Kohli will be a liability in England.
Without Kohli in the middle and only with Rohit at the top, India will be severely short of experience in England but there are some deserving candidates like Vihari, Shreyas Iyer, Gill, Surya Yadav.
Will a break help?
Kevin Pietersen, who knows a thing or two about handling pressure seems to think so.
“the guy has had so much to deal with, from marriage to baby to media scrutiny and all on his personal life. He is the biggest star on show,” Pietersen said. “Virat Kohli needs to say, ‘Cricket boots, for six months, I will see you later.’ Turn off social media, go and get re-energised.
“When the stadiums are full again, you guarantee him a spot in that side for the next 12, 24 or 36 months. Tell him, ‘You’re our guy. We know you’ll deliver for us.'” Pietersen said Kohli “is going to find it very hard to continue delivering now as his brain is completely fried.”
How long a break does he need?
This is a difficult question to answer. As I had written above, he must not tour England. He can comeback for the T20 World Cup but then the question is without sufficient match fitness, is it wise to call him back for such an important tournament? India has sufficient T20 reserves and they can very well manage without Kohli. However, Kohli is that X factor. Yes, there is a chance that he may not succeed at the World Cup. If we have to be too conservative, he must return during the Indian season. Anyway, he is unlikely to be given a break during the IPL by his franchise. Franchises do not really care about the health of Indian cricket or its cricketers. He is likely to be engaged till the end of May. 6 months break will take him to December. Ideal for a return.
Who must ask for the break?
This is a difficult question. The relationship between Ganguly and Kohli have deteriorated ever since Kohli resigned his T20 captaincy. If the board offers this break, it will look as though they have decided to drop him. If Kohli asks for a break, the board is likely to be accused of treating players differently. Nevertheless, I will still say that Ganguly, as the board president must bury his differences with Kohli and will have to convince him to take a break and inform publicly.
What happens after he is ready but the replacements have been performing?
This is another serious question. Is it fair to drop someone who has been scoring for someone who has just come back after a break? I think a position must be created for Kohli irrespective of the fact whether the replacements have performed. Kohli’s contribution is enormous and it must not be treated lightly. He certainly deserves that.
Conclusion to Shastri’s advise to Kohli
Shastri is spot on. Kohli must take a break for 6 months. He must forget England and must forget the T20 World Cup. Kohli if not 7-8 years, still has another 5 years of solid cricket left in him.
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